My dog looks skinny and I can see her ribs. Should I be concerned?

If her ribs are really sticking out and there is no fat or muscle, then see your vet. There could be a medical cause for her condition. If your vet clears her, increase the amount of food offered until she is at an appropriate weight. Ask your vet how to perform a Body Condition Score (BCS) on your dog using the 9 point scale. Ideally, she should have a waist when looked at from above. Her ribs should be seen and easily felt under a layer of fat/muscle. From the side, her chest should tuck up into her abdomen.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Being lean is not always a concern. A good body condition is based on muscle mass and palpation of the body, not a number on a scale. You should be able to feel her ribs while standing without pushing hard and she should have an hour glass waist from the sides and top of her body. She should also have good muscle definition in her chest and limbs. Make sure you are feeding what the bag of food says for her daily amount based on her weight. Make sure your vet tests for intestinal parasites so they are not consuming her calories. I hope this helps! Kisses to Soska!

You should be able to feel the bones with gentle pressure over the ribs and spine. Without a photo, I can't say by looking what kind of body condition she has, but from the description above twelve pounds is a good-size Chihuahua. This chart may help you visualize if she is underweight or not. https://www.aaha.org/public_documents/professional/guidelines/weightmgmt_bodyconditionscoring.pdf

Pictures can be very deceiving and i recommend you use a body condition scoring chart (there are many versions online) to help assess and ask your vet nurse if you are unsure. Although he does not appear unhealthy, he is quite narrow across his back and core muscles. Be sure to maintain him on a good quality puppy food until 15mintgs and consider an assessment by a physiotherapist to ensure there are no underlying causes and to advise on suitable exercise. A chiropractic assessment may also be worthwhile to see if there are any issues preventing him from developing

It sounds like she could be too thin. Here is a link to a body score chart so you can compare. You may need to increase her feeding to 1 cup each feeding and see if she puts on some weight. https://vet.osu.edu/vmc/sites/default/files/images/Body%20condition%20score%20chart%20dogs_0.pdf

If you lightly run your hand along his chest you should feel his ribs without poking, however you should not see his ribs. Unfortunately Goldendoodles have the famous labrador-I-eat-anything-that-looks-like -food-gene and that makes him hungry all the time. Here is a body condition score chart that should help you determine if your dog is too thin: http://www.wsava.org/sites/default/files/Body%20condition%20score%20chart%20dogs.pdf If you are still not sure, take your dog to the vet and ask one of the techs or the vet about his body condition.

No, you should not be able to see every bone. A normal healthy weight dog should not appear boney. You should be able to feel the ribs with your hands, but not see them. I'm not sure the age of this puppy, but reasons for poor weight gain can be improper amount of food, poor quality food or parasite problems.